Radar detector with navigation function

ABSTRACT

A GPS enabled radar detector incorporated in a general purpose navigation device dynamically handles radar sources based upon previously-stored geographically-referenced information on such sources and data from the GPS receiver. The detector may ignore detections received in an area known to contain a stationary source, or may only ignore specific frequencies or may handle frequencies differently based upon historic trends of spurious police radar signals at each frequency. Notification of the driver may take a variety of forms depending on the stored information, current operating modes, and vehicle speed. The device includes navigational functions as well. In one embodiment, the detector uses a transparent touch screen and a readily aligned mounting.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of and claims priority to U.S. Ser. No.12/915,835 filed Oct. 29, 2010, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,525,723on Sep. 3, 2013, which application is a continuation in part of andclaims priority to U.S. Ser. No. 12/195,147, filed Aug. 20, 2008, nowU.S. Pat. No. 7,999,121, and that is a divisional-in-part of U.S. Ser.No. 11/468,196, filed Aug. 29, 2006, which is a United States divisionalapplication of U.S. Ser. No. 10/396,881, filed Mar. 25, 2003, which is adivisional of U.S. Ser. No. 09/889,656, filed Jul. 19, 2001 (with thedeclaration under Section 371(c)(4) filed Mar. 15, 2002), now U.S. Pat.No. 6,670,905, which is a U.S. National Phase of PCT/US00/16410 filedJun. 14, 2000, which claims benefit of both U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/139,097, filed Jun. 14, 1999, and U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/145,394, filed Jul. 23, 1999,all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in theirentirety. This application also claims benefit (via application Ser. No.12/195,147) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/956,847,filed Aug. 20, 2007 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.60/984,167, filed Oct. 31, 2007, both of which are hereby incorporatedby reference herein in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to radar warning receivers and vehiclenavigation systems.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Radar detectors warn drivers of the use of police radar, and thepotential for traffic citations if the driver exceeds the speed limit.The FCC has allocated several regions of the electromagnetic spectrumfor police radar use. The bands used by police radar are generally knownas the X, K and Ka bands. Each relates to a different part of thespectrum. The X and K bands are relatively narrow frequency ranges,whereas the Ka band is a relatively wide range of frequencies. By theearly 1990s, police radar evolved to the point that it could operatealmost anywhere in the 1600-megahertz wide Ka band. During that timeradar detectors kept pace with models that included descriptive nameslike “Ultra Wide” and “Super Wide.” More recently, police have begun touse laser (optical) systems for detecting speed. This technology wastermed LIDAR for “Light Detection and Ranging.”

Radar detectors typically comprise a microwave receiver and detectioncircuitry that is typically realized with a microprocessor or digitalsignal processor (DSP). Microwave receivers are generally capable ofdetecting microwave components in the X, K, and very broad Ka band. Invarious solutions, either a microprocessor or DSP is used to makedecisions about the signal content from the microwave receiver. Systemsincluding a digital signal processor have been shown to provide superiorperformance over solutions based on conventional microprocessors due tothe DSP's ability to find and distinguish signals that are buried innoise. Various methods of applying DSP's were disclosed in U.S. Pat.Nos. 4,954,828, 5,079,553, 5,049,885, and 5,134,406, each of which ishereby incorporated by reference herein.

Police use of laser has also been countered with laser detectors, suchas described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,206,500, 5,347,120 and 5,365,055, eachof which is incorporated herein by reference. Products are now availablethat combine laser detection into a single product with a microwavereceiver, to provide comprehensive protection.

The DSP or microprocessor in a modern radar detector is programmable.Accordingly, they can be instructed to manage all of the user interfacefeatures such as input switches, lights, sounds, as well as generatecontrol and timing signals for the microwave receiver and/or laserdetector. Early in the evolution of the radar detector, consumers soughtproducts that offered a better way to manage the audible volume andduration of warning signals. Good examples of these solutions are foundin U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,631,542, 5,164,729, 5,250,951, and 5,300,932, eachof which is hereby incorporated by reference, which provide methods forconditioning the response generated by the radar detector.

Methods for conditioning detector response are gaining importance,because there are an increasing number of signals present in the X, K,and Ka bands from products that are completely unrelated to policeradar. These products share the same regions of the spectrum and arealso licensed by the FCC. The growing number of such signals is rapidlyundermining the credibility of radar detector performance. Radardetectors cannot tell the difference between emissions from many ofthese devices and true police radar systems. As a result, radardetectors are increasingly generating false alarms, effectively “cryingwolf”, reducing the significance of warnings from radar detectors.

One of the earliest and most prevalent unrelated Microwave sources isthe automatic door system used in many commercial buildings such assupermarkets, malls, restaurants, and shopping centers. The majority ofthese operate in the X-Band and produce signals virtuallyindistinguishable from conventional X-Band Police Radar. Other than thefact that door opening systems are vertically polarized, vs. circularpolarization for police radar, there is no distinction between the twothat could be analyzed and used by a receiver design.

Until recently, virtually all of the door opening systems were designedto operate in the X-Band. As a result, radar detectors generallyannounced X-Band alerts far more often than K-Band. As these X-Bandpolluters grew in numbers, ultimately 99% of X-Band alerts were fromirrelevant sources. X-Band alerts became meaningless. The only benefitthat these sources offered the user was some assurance that the detectorwas actually capable of detecting radar. It also gave the user someintuition into the product's detection range. To minimize the annoyanceto users, most radar detector manufacturers added a filter-like behaviorthat was biased against X-Band sources. Many also added “Band priority”that was biased against X and in favor of bands that were less likely tocontain irrelevant sources such as K, Ka, and Laser. If signals in bothX and K Bands were detected, band prioritization would announce K, sinceit was more likely be a threat to the driver. In the last few years,K-Band door opening systems have also grown in number. This has reducedthe significance of the K-Band warning and further undercut the overallbenefit to the user of a radar detector.

Another unrelated microwave signal is generated by traffic managementsystems such as the ARTIMIS manufactured by TRW, used in Cincinnati,Ohio. ARTIMIS stands for “Advanced Regional Traffic InteractiveManagement and Information System”, and reports traffic flow informationback to a central control center. Traffic congestion and other factorsare analyzed by the control center. Control center employees use thisinformation to formulate routing suggestions and other emergencyinformation, which they transmit to a large distribution of overhead androadside signs. In order to collect information on vehicle traffic, aroadside ARTIMIS station transmits an X-Band signal toward cars as theydrive by. The ARTIMIS source, unlike the X-Band door opener systems, isdistinguishable from police radar as it is not transmitted at a singlefixed frequency. As a result, it is possible to differentiate policeradar signals from sources such as ARTIMIS, and ignore ARTIMIS sourcesin newer detectors. Older detectors, however, do not incorporate thisfeature and could be obsolete in areas where ARTIMIS is in use.

Unrelated Microwave signals are also transmitted by a system called theRASHID VRSS. Rashid is an acronym for Radar Safety Brake CollisionWarning System. This electronic device warns heavy trucks and ambulancesof hazards in their path. A small number of these RASHID VRSS units havebeen deployed. They are categorized as a member of the non-stationaryset of unrelated sources. As in the ARTIMIS example, detection of RASHIDcan be prevented.

Perhaps the biggest source of non-stationary unrelated sources is fromother radar detectors. These are sometimes referred to as “pollutingradar detectors,” and present a serious threat to some detectorproducts. An early example of this occurred in the mid 1980s when radardetectors using superhomodyne circuitry became popular. Such detectorsleak energy in the X-Band and K-bands and appeared as police radar toother detectors. A solution to this problem is described in U.S. Pat.No. 4,581,769, which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety. A similar problem occurred in the early 1990's when the Kaband was widened. An unexpected result was that the wider Ka band thenalso detected harmonics of signals generated by local oscillators withinmany existing radar detectors. U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,007, which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety, describes a method forignoring these polluting detectors.

At this time, there are very few signal sources that can cause falselaser detections in comparison to the substantial list of falsemicrowave signals just described. However there are certain types ofequipment that can cause the amplifiers and detection circuitry used ina laser detector to generate a “false” detect. In particular, certainlocations near airports have been demonstrated to cause such problemsfor various laser detector products. As a result, selected airportenvironments are examples of stationary signals that produce false laserdetections.

As can be appreciated from the foregoing example, as sources ofunrelated signals continue to propagate, radar detectors mustcontinually increase in sophistication to filter unrelated sources andaccurately identify police radar. Each of these changes and enhancementshas the potential effect of obsoleting existing detectors that do notinclude appropriate countermeasures. Furthermore, some sources,particularly stationary door opener sources, at this time cannot befiltered economically and thus threaten the usefulness of even the mostsophisticated modern radar detector.

During the 1980s, the functionality of radar detectors expanded intoother classes of driver notification. A system was developed thatrequired a special transmitter be placed on emergency vehicles, trains,and other driving hazards. The term emergency radar was coined, and avariety of products were introduced that could detect thesetransmitters. One such solution was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.5,559,508, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety. Another system was later introduced offering a larger class ofhazard categories called the SWS system. Both emergency radar and SWSinvolve the transmission of microwave signals in the K band. Suchsignals are considered to be a part of the group of signal types thatare intended to be detected by radar detectors.

A drawback of these warning systems is that stationary transmitters ofthese signals send the same message to drivers constantly, and become anuisance during daily commute. This is beneficial to new driversreceiving the message for the first time. However these messages becomean annoyance to drivers who follow the same path to work every day.

Thus, radar detector manufacturers are continually confronted with newproblems to solve, due to the variety of different types of unrelatedsources and their sheer numbers. The rate at which new or upgraded radardetector models are introduced continues to increase as manufacturerstry to evolve their products to manage the growing number of unrelatedsources. Meanwhile, the market for radar detectors is shrinking becauseconsumers are no longer interested in buying products that so quicklybecome obsolete.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,670,905, issued Dec. 30, 2003 describes an inventionthat overcame some of these difficulties by providing a method ofoperating a radar detector that aids in the management of unrelatedsources, and permitting the detector to dynamically improve its handlingof unrelated sources. As noted above, many non-stationary sources can beidentified and ignored using existing technology. However, manystationary sources cannot, as yet, be effectively filtered economicallywith existing technology. Accordingly, the '905 patent provides a radardetector that includes technology for determining the location of thedetector, and comparing this location to the locations of knownstationary sources, to improve the handling of such detections.

The Global Positioning Satellite System (GPS) offers an electronicmethod for establishing current physical coordinates very accurately. Inthe detailed embodiment described in the '905 patent, a radar detectorutilizes a GPS system to determine its current position. The detectoralso maintains a list of the coordinates of the known stationary source“offenders” in nonvolatile memory. Each time a microwave or laser sourceis detected, it will compare its current coordinates to this list.Notification of the driver will take on a variety of forms depending onthe setup configuration.

In one embodiment, a radar detector may ignore detections received in anarea known to contain a stationary source. In the specific embodimentdescribed in the '905 patent, substantially more sophisticatedprocessing is performed to determine whether and what actions to take inresponse to a detection.

By adding GPS conditioning capabilities to a radar detector, thecombination became a new product category that is capable of rejectingsignals from any given location no matter what the nature of themicrowave/laser signals might be from that location. In furtheradvancements, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/567,000 filed Dec. 5,2006 claiming priority to U.S. provisional application 60/742,301 bothof which are hereby incorporated by reference herein, makes use oftraffic information received via radio transmissions to further enhancethe utility of the radar detector/navigation device. This has a dramaticeffect on the usable life of the product and subsequent value to itsowner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the invention features a navigation and radar detectiondevice including a touch screen that provides information on the statusof the receiver section and/or warning section in a variety of visualarrangements. In a particular embodiment, the touch screen presents atouch screen button that, when touched, permits the selection of one ofat least two arrangements in which information is displayed on the touchscreen display.

In a second aspect, the invention features a navigation and radardetection device having, in its cockpit mounted housing, a receiver thatincludes a radar reflector within the housing for reflecting radarsignals in a signal band used in the context of law enforcement activityto said receiver section, thus, for example, permitting a compact devicehousing in which the antenna horn has its long axis parallel to theplane of the display screen. The deflector may be parabolic, and receiveradar signal signals from in front of the vehicle and reflecting them tosaid antenna.

In a third aspect, the invention features a radar detection device forattachment to a ground vehicle that comprises a transparent ortranslucent display screen allowing viewing of the vehicle surroundingthrough the display screen, and a mounting that mounting the displayscreen adjacent to the vehicle windshield. The screen may, for example,be an OLED LCD display, and may be touch sensitive. Furthermore, themounting may mount to the dashboard or to the rearview mirror.

In a fourth aspect, the invention features a windshield mount and radardetecting device comprising a member that affixes to a windshieldcoupled to a clip with an upward facing tab, and a radar detectingdevice having a housing with a front facing surface, the front facingsurface defining a downward facing opening adapted to receive the upwardfacing tab. In particular embodiments, the mount further comprises asnap with a downward facing tab, and the front facing surface of thedevice further comprises a clasp adapted to engage the snap. Further,the upward facing tab may have a tapered edge to facilitate mounting ofsaid downward facing opening thereto.

The above and other objects and advantages of the present inventionshall be made apparent from the accompanying drawings and thedescription thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and,together with a general description of the invention given above, andthe detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve toexplain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a first embodiment of a navigation andpolice activity warning device receiving radar signals from police radarand from a number of unrelated sources, and further receiving globalpositioning signals from a global positioning satellite.

FIG. 2 is a close-up view of the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a partially exploded schematic illustration of the device ofFIG. 2.

FIG. 4A is a schematic cross-section view of a PRIOR ART horn andantenna in a radar device without a reflector.

FIG. 4B is a partial cross-section view as indicated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a close-up view of the underside of the horn shown in FIG. 3and the RF circuit board to which it mates.

FIG. 6 is a schematic of a second embodiment of a navigation and policeactivity warning device.

FIG. 7 is a schematic of a third embodiment of a navigation and policeactivity warning device.

FIG. 8 is a partially exploded schematic illustration of a mountingsystem for the embodiments of the previous figures.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are schematic illustrations of the use of the mountingsystem of FIG. 8.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of a fourth embodiment of a navigation andpolice activity warning device receiving radar signals from police radarand from a number of unrelated sources, and further receiving globalpositioning signals from a global positioning satellite.

FIG. 10 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view of a fifth embodiment of anavigation and police activity warning device in use, and communicatingwirelessly.

FIG. 12 illustrates an options menu on the display of the embodiment ofFIG. 2.

FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrate a tools menu accessed from a tool button onthe options menu of FIG. 12.

FIGS. 15, 16, 17 illustrate several conditions of the navigation screenon the display of the embodiment of FIG. 2.

FIG. 18 illustrates a Fast Feature screen accessible from the navigationscreens of FIGS. 15 -17.

FIG. 19 illustrates a Map screen accessed from the Map button on theoptions menu of FIG. 12.

FIGS. 20 and 21 illustrate a detector menu accessed from the radarbutton on the options menu of FIG. 12.

FIGS. 22 and 22A illustrate an embodiment of a detector that has ascreen that is at least partially transparent, and is suspended from arearview mirror.

FIG. 23 illustrates an embodiment of a detector, similar to FIG. 22, canbe at least partially seen through, but is mounted on a pedestal.

FIG. 24 is a schematic view of a main menu of a sixth embodiment of anavigation and police activity warning device main menu.

FIGS. 25A-25D are schematic views of detector screens in the embodimentof FIG. 24.

FIGS. 26-29 are schematic views of map screens in the embodiment of FIG.24.

FIG. 30 is a schematic view of a Go-To screen in the embodiment of FIG.24.

FIG. 31 is a schematic view of a manage-route screen in the embodimentof FIG. 24.

FIGS. 32-34 are schematic views of general setting screens in theembodiment of FIG. 24.

FIGS. 35-36 are schematic views of detector setting screens in theembodiment of FIG. 24.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a navigation and police warning device10 is inside a motor vehicle coupled to a mount 12 and releasable by arelease button 16. The device 10 receives GPS positioning signals 18 andelectromagnetic and optical police signals 20 in the form of radar 22and LIDAR (laser) 24. A display 26 is visible to a driver and includes atouch screen 28. The touch screen 28 provides the functions of a keypad,and buttons, that units without a touch screen 28 may use instead. Apower and communication receptacle 30 and a headphone jack 32 arevisible on the right side of the device.

In FIG. 3 a housing front 33, a housing back 34, a battery 35, and thedisplay 26 are separated from an electronics portion 36 and the mount12. The display 26 is secured by a frame 25 and a boot 27 to the fronthousing 33. To appreciate the location and orientation of theelectronics, it helps to know that the navigation displays that driversare accustomed to seeing are vertical and generally facing the back ofthe vehicle and angled towards the driver. Since a navigation display 26must be large enough for a driver to see, navigation units have agenerally tall and wide geometry relative their thickness (front to backin the vehicle). In contrast, a radar receiver is usually oriented topresent a small visible profile as seen from the front of the vehicle,thus it generally has a small height, a medium width, and a relativelylonger thickness (front to back in the vehicle). To simply combine thecircuit board of a navigation unit and a radar receiver into the samehousing would make the product have a relatively large height, width,and depth. It would obstruct a greater amount of the driver's vision,and make it more apparent to observers that a radar detector is beingused. Such a device is one embodiment of the current invention, but notone that is illustrated.

The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 has a circuit board 38 comprised ofthree main functional areas: a navigation section 40, a receiver section42, and a warning section 44. The circuit board 38 communicates to thedisplay 26 through a twenty-four pin connector 45. In this description,a single circuit board 38 is referred to, however one skilled in the artwould realize that this may be made in the form of multiple circuitboards, or even shrunk to circuits smaller than circuit boards. Further,the representation of a navigation section 40, a receiver section 42,and a warning section 44 in the figures is schematic and only for thepurposes of description. The navigation section 40 includes a GPSantenna 46 mounted on a GPS bracket 48 at a cutout 50 near the top ofthe circuit board 38, that communicate to a GPS receiver and a separateDGPS (differential GPS) receiver (neither shown). The receiver sectionincludes a laser detector comprising a photodiode 52 under a shield 54at a window 55 to detect laser 24 from behind the vehicle, and aphotodiode 56 under a shield 58 at a window 57 to detect laser 24 fromthe front of the vehicle, along with processing circuitry. The receiversection 42 further includes an RF circuit board 59 having an antenna 60that receives focused microwaves from a horn 62 having a ridge 64,explained in greater detail with reference to FIG. 5. The RF circuitboard 59 may send the signal through a digital signal processor (notshown). It may be further supplemented by a Radar Detection CPU(optional) placed in the vehicle. The navigation section 40, receiversection 42, warning section 44, and other components work togetherthrough a fusion processor with EEPROM (both not shown), such as, forexample, disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/195,147 filedAug. 20, 2008, that is herein incorporated by reference in its entiretyby a previous incorporation statement. Further, the fusion processor mayhave a vehicle interface such as an ODB II compliant interface forconnection to a vehicle electronic system. An alert 65 may be issuedthrough a speaker 66, or the headphone jack 32, communication receptacle30, or any other similar component such as a light emitting diode 63advantageously located on the front left corner close to the driver.

With reference to schematic Prior Art FIG. 4A: As is known in the art,for example in U.S. Pat. No. 7,388,537 to Martinson et al. assigned toEscort Incorporated, the assignee of the current application, an antenna960 is a slender strip of metal in the plane of the circuit board 938 onwhich a horn 962 with a ridge 964 focuses the microwaves 922. In manyprevious radar detectors the horn 962 faces the front of the vehicle andhas a passage 966 that converges and focuses the microwave energy ontothe antenna 960 oriented in a generally horizontal plane in the vehicle.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,937 is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety. A remote mounted radar unit is shown in greatest detail FIG. 2of U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,937; this unit is designed for mounting in avehicle grille. The remote unit includes uses a radar reflector to aidin properly sizing the housing of the remote unit so that it can beplaced behind the vehicle's license plate.

A vertical mounting with a radar reflector is used in conjunction withthe present invention. In FIGS. 3, 4B and 5, the circuit board 38 andthe RF circuit board 59 with the antenna 60 can be seen, orientedvertically to fit the general contours of the display 26. Horn 62 has aridge 64 in a first passage 67 comprising a straight portion 68 with theantenna 60 generally at a first end 70 and a reflector 72 at the secondend 74. The reflector 72 is a parabolic surface, but in otherembodiments it may be a straight surface or other shapes. The passage iscoupled to a second passage 76 at an approximately right angle to thefirst, with an entrance 78 that faces approximately forward in thevehicle and is aligned with an aperture 80 in the circuit board 38.Microwaves 22 enter from the front of the vehicle and reflect off thereflector 72 towards the first passage 67 to be focused on the antenna60 by the ridge 64 that has an incline and a taper so that it eventuallycontacts the antenna 60.

Additional items are included to provide data input and output from theillustrated device, which may be obtained from databases or othersources of information, for example databases on the internet, apersonal computer, a personal digital assistant, a CPU in the vehicle,or other devices. This information can be obtained through a mini USBport 82 and/or a micro SD slot 84. Further descriptions of use of thesedevices and other interfaces, are described in U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/389,978 filed Feb. 20, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,373,588,and hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. In someembodiments switches may be used to receive user inputs other than thoseentered through the touch screen 28. For example, these may be userinputs to change the mode of the device from training mode to one of avariety of operating modes. At the lower right is a reset button 90,accessed through a hole (not shown) in the housing. As in manyelectronic devices, reset button 90 provides a user the ability to resetthe device during unusual circumstances. A three position slide switch92 has an on position, a momentary on/off position, and a lockedposition that prevents user inputs in accordance with functionalscenarios, such as when the device is being carried.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment 200 of a navigation and police warningdevice having a horizontally mounted antenna horn 202. In thisembodiment the orientation of the display 26 is decoupled from the RFcircuit board 59 and antenna 60, specifically, horn 202 is orientedhorizontally as in typical radar detectors. A second housing 204 on amount unit 212 contains horn 202 and a circuit board 38 with at leastthe receiver section 42, and optionally the warning section 44 and/orthe navigation section 40. The photodiodes 252, 256 and shields 254, 258associated with the receiver section 42 are in the second housing 204.An electrical conductor 206 communicates information to the display 26and any of the other sections, for example the navigation section 40,receiver section 42, or warning section 44 in the first housing 33, 34.In use, the mount unit 212 and second housing 204 may be left in thevehicle by detaching them from the first housing back 34 by usingrelease button 16. Housing 33, 34 may be removed from the vehicle asdesired, making it available for navigation-only purposes, for exampleby a person who wishes to use the device while walking or in anothervehicle. The device may also be brought to a computer for updating ofthe database. Alternatively, all the sections involved in processing thesignals 20, 22, 24 may be in the second housing 204. However this wouldleave more expensive components in the vehicle.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment 300 in which wiring 306 runs internalto mount assembly 312, from unit 304 to back housing 334. An arrangementsuch as this, with, for example, an electrical plug 308 protruding fromthe mount assembly 312 and a corresponding electrical socket 310 on theback housing 334 will allow the electrical connections to be completedautomatically when the device is mounted.

FIG. 8 illustrates components of a mounting system that facilitate easymounting and dismounting of the device 10, 200, 300, to the mount 12.Broadly, the mount system comprises a clip assembly 94, a guide 96 andan aperture 98 in the back housing 34 that cooperate with the clipassembly 94, and a clasp assembly 100 inside the device 10, 200, 300.

The clip assembly 94 has a clip 101 with a receiver tab 102 having ahorizontal portion 104, a vertical portion 106 and a tapered lead-in108. Above the receiver tab is a snap 110 with a horizontal portion 112,and a vertical portion 114. The clip 101 has a vertical face 116 havingtwo approximately rectangular passages 118 with resilient arms 120 alongthe interior edge of each passage 118. The arms 120 are biased to pushin the outward direction, for example to the left and right of thevehicle. The vertical face also has two bumper apertures 122.

The mount 12 has a suction arm 124 and a nut 126 that holds a receptacleplate 128 having two projections 130. The clip 101 is placed ontoreceptacle plate 128 by passing the rectangular passages 118 over theprojections 130 until the resilient arms 120 snap into place under theprojections 130. A bumper mount 132 made of a soft resilient material,for example rubber, is trapped between the receptacle plate 128 and theclip 101, but two upper bumpers 134 (best seen in FIG. 3) and two lowerbumpers 135 protrude through the bumper apertures 122. Once installed,the clip 101 is not intended to be removed from the receptacle plate 128by the user. For that reason an adhesive back overlay 136 conceals thetwo resilient arms 120. Should it be necessary to remove the clip 101from the receptacle plate 128, the overlay 136 can be removed, but itwill likely be defaced. Then the clip 101 may be removed from thereceptacle plate 128 by simultaneously deflecting the two resilient arms120 inward to allow the clip 101 to be removed from the projections 130.Of course, the custom clip assembly 94 could be manufactured permanentlyas a part of the mount 12, but the pieces described allow the use ofinexpensive and proven standard parts, for example receptacle 128, nut126, and suction arm 124, that are used with other devices.

The housing back 34 has guide 96 molded into it. The guide 96 is wide ata lower end 140 and smaller at a top end 142, to snugly surround thereceiver tab 102. Above the guide is the aperture 98 sized to receivethe vertical portion 114 of the snap 110.

The clasp assembly 100 has a bracket 144 with a channel 146 orientedapproximately vertically, a clasp 148 with a receiver 150 and a shaft152, and a spring 154. The shaft 152 is captured in the channel 146 sothat the clasp 148 is biased upwardly by the spring 154. The claspassembly 100 is held by fasteners 156 and bosses 158 in the device 10 sothat when release button 16 is depressed, receiver 150 aligns withaperture 98, but when release button 16 is free, the spring 154 biasesthe clasp assembly 100 to capture snap 110.

FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate that the entire mount assembly 12, includingthe clip 101, overlay 136, and rubber bumpers 132, 134, 135, may be lefton the windshield of a vehicle, while the device 10 is repeatedlyremoved and installed. To install, the device 10 is blindly placed sothat the bottom 140 of the guide 96 goes over the receiver tab 102 whichis guided to the appropriate resting location at the upper end 142 ofthe guide 96 by the downward motion of the device 10. Once in the properlocation, the device 10 is rocked toward the stationary snap 110 usingthe receiver tab 106 as a fulcrum. The lead-in 108 self-centers andproperly orients the device 10 such that the stationary snap 110 on themount 12 will always engage with the aperture 98. The clasp 148 appliespressure to the mount's stationary snap 106 to prevent rocking andaudible rattling. Rubber contact surfaces of the upper bumpers 134 andlower bumpers 135 on the mount 12 will also apply pressure to ensure afirm, stable interface between the mount 12 and the device 10. Theremoval of the device 10 from the mount 12 is achieved by depressing therelease button 16, rocking the unit forward (to the back of thevehicle), and lifting the unit off of the receiver tab 106. Thedisclosed features aid with the functions of locating, orienting,receiving, securing, and releasing the unit. Furthermore, the mount 12is relatively small, attractive, and unobtrusive when left on thewindshield without a unit attached.

Another embodiment 400 is illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10. 400 is arearview mirror with the features of device 10 included. That is to saythat rather than mounting another item on the windshield by a separatemount, the device 400 takes the place on the windshield appropriate fora rear view mirror. The device 400 also provides the functionality ofthe rearview mirror by having a section of conventional mirror glass402. For simplicity, external receptacles and other visible features ofitem 10 are not shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, but they may be appropriatelyplaced for access by a user. Advantageously, item 400 has a largeperimeter on which features may be placed.

FIG. 11 illustrates additional embodiments of the current invention. Inprevious embodiments, the detector portions of the device may or may nothave been in the same housing as the navigational and display portionsof the device. When in different housings, a wired connection 206 or 306(FIGS. 6 and 7) occurred between them. In FIG. 11, an embodiment 500communicates wirelessly with several devices. Device 500 has a primaryduty of displaying the navigational information to the driver, as it hasthe display 26 and it receives the GPS signals 18. However, a radardetector 502 of a size and shape that is typical may be mountedseparately. The information may flow wirelessly between the two, oralternatively may flow through wire (not shown). Similarly, the driver504 may communicate with the device 500 in at least two ways. Sinceadvantageously the device is mounted approximately level with thedriver's head, the driver may speak sound commands directly to themirror area, as indicated by arrow 506. Or, the driver may speak into ablue tooth headset 508 so that those commands are transmitted wirelesslyas indicated by arrow 510. In some embodiments, by way of communication506 or 508 the driver 504 may control an entertainment center 512, asindicated by arrows 514 and 516. Other devices, for example a cell phoneor other communication system such as on-star or satellite radioservice, such as one bringing traffic alert information, may also becontrolled or made use of. These communications devices may work withthe device 500 as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/389,978 filed Feb. 20, 2009, U.S. Pat. No. 8,373,588, and U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/578,377, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,624,771, both ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference herein. The driver and device500 may also send commands and communicate with the detector 502 asindicated by arrows 518 and 520. An example of a command to the detectorwould be a command that mutes an alert. Or, the detector could send analert to the driver through the blue tooth headset, as additionallydescribed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/389,978 filed Feb. 20,2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,373,588, and previously incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

The preceding described hardware. Now various embodiments ofscreen-shots of display 26 will be used to further describe use of thedevice.

FIG. 12 is an options menu 700, with a status Icon area 702 along thetop that may have icons that, for example, include GPS, battery status,a compass, etc. The main view area 704 has four options as follows: A GoTo 706 brings up a Go To screen (not shown) to find or input adestination such as, for example, an address, a point of interest, orone's home. Through the Go To screen there is access to a favorites listand a QWERTY or other style keyboard. From the GO TO screen, there isaccess to begin navigation. A Map option 708 brings up the map screenwhich will be described further with reference to FIG. 14. A Radaroption 710 accesses a detector features menu that is shown and furtherdescribed with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19. A Phone option 712 allowssetting up and accessing optional phone interface capabilities. Acrossthe Phone selection a scroll type volume control 714 having a slider 715is shown, that is temporarily active on the screen because the volumebutton 716 has been touched.

The Tools selection 718 brings up the tool screens 719 as illustrated inFIGS. 13 and 14, having many menu categories with check box and/orscroll type controls for setting parameters, many of which one ofordinary skill in the art will recognize as common to many othernavigational and phone units for use in moving vehicles. Those will notbe further explained here. However, three categories are in need offurther description. In FIG. 13, the Auto Power category 720 allows forchoosing whether or not the detector should become active when the caris turned on, and whether it should do so with a “Classic DetectorScreen” 722 that does not show navigation type information, or a “ModernDetector Screen” 724 that does. Clear My List 726 allows for removal ofpreviously stored or displayed information. Legal 728 provides access toview legal and safety agreements. The arrow keys in the bottom cornersof the screen switch between the screen of FIGS. 13 and 14. The Optionsselection 730 returns the display to Options Screen FIG. 12.

FIG. 15 is an example of one screen during navigation with the detectoron and nothing detected. An arrow or other icon 731 represents thecurrent location and travel direction of the device 10, along a boldline 734 that is the currently planned route. Starting from the top leftin the figure, and proceeding counter clockwise, a turn icon 736 withvoice replay 738 informs the driver of an upcoming turn, and a touchreplays the audio associated with that turn. A current speed limit icon740 conveys posted speed limits at the present location as listed inavailable data resources. A mark icon 742 will be further explained withreference to FIGS. 16 and 17. The highway Icon 744 is a toggle that canbe set at HWY, CITY, or AUTO, to control options such as the level ofdetail to annunciate and collect. It may also be used to set sensitivityto one of three levels: Highway—Provides maximum sensitivity on allbands, Auto—Provides real-time sensitivity adjustment based on yourvehicle speed, as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,397,416, which ishereby incorporated by reference. In Auto, as vehicle speed increases,the radar sensitivity (X- and K-band) is set to maximum range. As thevehicle speed decreases, the radar sensitivity (X- and K-band only) isminimized to reduce unwanted false alarms. Full sensitivity ismaintained on all other bands. A setting “Auto No X”—Provides the samedetection sensitivity as Auto mode, with X-band turned off.

The arrow key 746 in the lower left navigates to other screens. The ETA(Estimated Time of Arrival) icon 747, shown in its expanded form afterhaving been recently touched, changes the ETA reporting among thechoices of ETA/Distance, Speed/Distance, or Latitude/Longitude. Theoptions icon and volume icon have been previously described. The phone748 icon brings up quick access to phone features. A lane assists 750displays, when data is available, lane options such as for examplestraight or right turn only. This icon is one of the features present onthe navigation screens, but not on the Map screens accessed by the mapoption of FIG. 7. Plus 752 and minus 754 icons zoom in and out. The NextStreet Icon 756 toggles, via a drop down menu, between Next Street Top,Next Street Bottom, Current Street Top, and Current Street Bottom sothat a person can read the names of the streets at a location of theirchoosing on the screen.

FIG. 16 shows at 757 the options that the mark button has when there isno detector alert. These may be used to input data, either while drivingor at home or a similar place, to manually input data such as forexample traffic signals, safety concerns, or speed traps. These choices,as well as other icons previously mentioned, are shown partiallytransparent so that they do not obscure the navigational information onthe screen.

FIG. 17 illustrates the screen with an alert. The option Icon 758changes to an alert icon 760 that displays the type of signal causingthe alert (in this example, KA band radar) and a representation ofsignal strength. If so programmed in the options menu, an audible signalis also generated. At the moment of alert, the previous mark iconchanged to a lock icon 762. As shown in FIG. 17, a person has touchedthe lock icon to display two choices, yes or no. Yes will program intomemory that this type of signal at this location should be locked, i.e.,prevented from alerting in the future. Or no, do not put the alert intomemory. Selecting “no” is like cancel, and is the same as not havingpushed the lock button at all. During an alert, touching any part of thescreen that is not a button will mute the current audible signal.

FIG. 18 illustrates a fast feature 764 menu that is accessed by pressinganywhere on the Navigation screen that is not a button. The fast featureis context sensitive, and looks different depending upon what screensand actions are occurring when the fast feature screen is accessed. Someof these buttons access features that are accessible through otherscreens, but some may be unique.

FIG. 19 illustrates a Map screen 768. The Map screen is similar lookingto a navigation screen, and it displays, marks, and locks alerts andother features of the environment as previously described.

FIGS. 20, 21 are a two screen menu with detector selections accessed bypressing the radar option (FIG. 12). As can be seen, there are 14categories. This is just one of many ways that the information could bedisplayed. None the less, these 14 categories provide an organizedapproach to describing additional features of the device 10.

In FIG. 20, Dark mode 772 refers to the ability of the screen to sensedark ambient conditions, and adjust screen colors to different settingsthat are easier to see in the dark. Pilot 774 refers to the vehiclestatus information that can be displayed during normal operation, suchas the battery voltage, or vehicle speed. Autolearn 775 is the abilityof the detector to analyze (over time) the repetitiveness of radarsignals by location and frequency. This allows the device to determineif a signal at a given location is a real threat or a false one. If, forexample, the signal is repeated at a location over multiple encounters,it is likely an automatic door opener, motion sensor, etc., which can beautomatically locked at the particular location. Acknowledgement, forexample a “stored” message accompanied by a single beep, may be usedwhen a signal has been automatically locked out. AutoLearn may, forexample, require the exact frequency in the same location approximatelythree times to lock it out. When AutoLearn may also un-learn signals toprotect the user from locking out real threats. If a particular signalis no longer present at a location that was previously locked out, thedevice may unlock that signal.

Meter 776 allows a person to set how they would like signals to bedisplayed, for example as a bar graph, or numerical frequencyinformation for the experienced user.

Speed mute 778 will keep alerts from audibly sounding when the device 10calculates that the vehicle is moving slower than the posted speedlimit.

Detector 780 works with the auto power feature of FIG. 8 to set whetherthe detector comes on during Auto Power.

Units 782 controls whether the display is English units or Metric.

Voice 784 determines whether voice commands are used in addition tovisual commands. Whether the voice is a male or female voice is selectedin FIG. 13 on the tools menu.

Bands on 786 provide a place to designate which of the various bandsthat the detector is capable of detecting, should be alerted. Choosingto not particular bands can reduce the number of false alerts.

In FIG. 21, GPS 788 allows the unit to have GPS turned off and then workonly as an older style detector, and without any navigational function.

Device info 790 is for identification purposes. Report locations 792designate which of the listed items, known to the device's data base,should be alerted.

Clear my marked locations 794 and restore settings 796, are twocategories that are intended to be rarely used. They may be used, forexample, when a person moves from one city to another, or when thedevice is given to a different person who wishes to begin accumulatingfresh experiential data.

Although this application shows only images on the screen of the device10, one should understand that with a USB, WiFi, or similar connection,the menus may also be shown on a personal computer, and other optionsadded.

FIGS. 22, 22A, and 23 illustrate a navigation device 810, or navigationand radar detector device 811, that uses a screen 812 which allowsimproved visual awareness of the surroundings 814 outside the vehicle.The screen is at least partially transparent. In the illustratedembodiment 810, 811, the electronics and antennae are remotely locatedand the display information is transmitted to the display wirelessly, orthrough a wire harness (not shown). The screen 812 may be, for example,an OLED Active Matrix LCD touch display that is also see-through, as forexample in the Samsung media player known as the IceTouch. OLEDtechnology is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,583,343, whichis incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. It is contemplatedthat brackets 816 may be articulated so that when the car is parked thescreen 812 can be raised to a position aligned with the mirror, makingit less visible and a target of theft. In FIG. 23, the device 810, 811is on a pedestal mount 818.

It will be appreciated that a device of the type shown in FIGS. 22 and22A provides the benefits of a mirror-mounted display panel whileallowing the vehicle to retain its original factory mirror, which isparticularly useful where the original mirror contains OEM electroniccomponents such as a handsfree microphone or communication system suchas the GM ONSTAR system.

FIGS. 24-35 illustrate an additional particular embodiment of thescreens that may be used by a detector with navigation function. Thedevice 910 shown in these figures has an outward appearances similar tothat of device 10 discussed above (FIG. 2, for example) and for brevity,are not illustrated again. Instead, the figures illustrate imagesdisplayed when the device is in use. As one of ordinary skill in the artwould understand, these images are examples only, and may be modified orrearranged and remain within the bounds of the present invention.

A main menu 912 has a battery strength indicator 914, a GPS satelliteavailability indicator 916, and seven touch-screen icons comprisingDetector 918, Map 920, Go to . . . 922, Volume 924, Stop 926, Routes928, and Settings 930.

Touching the GPS availability indicator 916 displays the currentlongitude and latitude of the device, if GPS signals are being received.If the signals are not currently received, the indicator will have ared-line through it and the current location is not available.

Selecting Detector 918 brings up the detector screen 932, FIGS. 25A-25D.The detector screen 932 may take on at least two different appearances,depending on viewer preference. This is referred to by some as“skinning”, meaning that the appearance of underlying data may bepresented graphically in more than one manner. A screen button 934switches among the different appearances. FIG. 25A has a depiction of ananalog speedometer 936 and a compass heading 938 displaying NW, fornorthwest. A radar signal strength meter 940 and the sensitivity mode941 is displayed in a primary alert area 942. Along the bottom is a menubutton 944 for returning to the main menu 912, a color button 946 tochange appearances of the detector screen 932, and a map button 948 tomove directly to a map screen 956 (FIG. 26). FIG. 25B illustrates anexample of the detector screen 932 displayed using a “skin” with adigital speedometer appearance. Which skin and colors to use isdependent on user preference.

The sensitivity mode 941 has, for example three detection sensitivitymodes, as well as an option to turn radar/laser detection off. One canselect any of these options by touching the On-Screen Radar/Laser AlertArea when the unit is not receiving an alert. The area will displayHighway, Auto, or Auto No X (the functions of which are discussedabove), and device 910 will provide a voice confirmation of theselection.

FIGS. 25C and 25D illustrate detector screen 932 of FIGS. 25A and 25Brespectively, with the signal strength meter 940 hidden, and up to fourdifferent radar alerts 950 displayed. The most severe alert 952 isdisplayed in the primary alert area 942 and the other alerts 950 arebelow the primary alert area 942. Next to each of the alerts 950 and 952is the actual frequency, in GHZ, of the respective signal. A mark button954 allows the user to mark radar or safety camera locations for futurewarnings, as will be explained in greater detail with reference to laterfigures.

FIGS. 26-29 illustrate a map screen 956 similar to those found on manynavigation devices. Screen 956 has an indication of the speed limit 958at the current location, actual speed 959, sensitivity setting 941, andmark button 954. In FIG. 27, the alert 952 of K band radar is displayedin the radar/laser alert area 960. Touching this alert once would muteit, touching it a second time would prompt “Lockout?” (FIG. 28) andtouching it a third time will confirm to lock this signal out bylocation and frequency. A “stored” message (not shown) will bedisplayed. Once a signal has been stored, the device 910 will reject thesignal the next time the area is approached—and will display thelocked-out alert in the On-Screen Radar/Laser Alert Area with either agray bar (Standard Bar Graph mode) or white text (SpecDisplay mode). Tounlock a signal that has already been stored, simply press and hold theSmartCord mute button or touch the On-Screen Radar/Laser Alert Areawhile receiving the locked out “alert.” The display will read “Unlock?”,and a mute button on the power cord (not shown) or a touch are on theOn-Screen Radar/Laser Alert Area can be used to unlock it from memory.The display will then read “Unlocked” to confirm the action.

The mark icon 954 allows the user to mark a specific location, usuallysomething visually identified as a threat, and label it for futurereference. Once marked, device 910 will provide an audible and visualon-screen alert when the device again reaches this area. Advance warningwill occur, for example, at the following distances: Red-light cameras:250 ft. or 10 seconds, Speed cameras: 500 ft. when traveling below 55mph; 1,000 ft. when traveling above 55 mph, Speed traps: 0.3 ml. orapproximately 1,584 ft., Other: 500 ft. when traveling below 55 mph;1,000 ft. when traveling above 55 mph. A location is marked by touchingthe mark icon 954 and the display will show the following icons (FIG.29) displayed next to the mark button 954: speed camera 962, red-lightcamera 963, speed trap 964, and other 965. The corresponding icon isused to confirm the type of location being marked. The selected markerwill appear in the location along the route.

FIG. 27 is an example of a red light camera 963 and a speed trap 964being displayed as a result of a previously marked encounter. When alocation is marked the first time the device must travel, for example atleast 1 mile, away from that location to receive an alert. To unmark alocation, the mark icon 954 is touched during a “marked location” alert.The display will read “Unmark?” in the Radar/Laser Alert Area. Touchingthe mark icon 954 again will confirm.

FIG. 30 illustrates a Go To screen reached by Go to . . . button 922.The six icon buttons, with their descriptors, are self explanatory andwould be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art of making orusing navigation devices. Generally, screen 968 sets up a route to anaddress, or to a restaurant, gas station, park, hospital, or othercommon public locale. The device may store a home address, to allow aquick calculation of a route to go home from any other location. Aparticular point of interest may be located from an internal database byname using the Search function, or they may be browse by category inBrowse. Favorites is used to store locations to which the vehiclefrequently navigates. Recent allows navigation to the most recentdestinations without having to enter them again.

FIG. 31 illustrates a Routes Screen 970, reached for example, by Routesbutton 925 of the main menu (FIG. 24). Its purpose, and general functionis as follows: If there is an upcoming traffic slow-down or incidentalong a route, the user may choose to avoid the affected portion of theroute. An alternate route is generated from the Menu function on the MapView 956; in the Main Menu screen, Routes 925 brings up a menu includingAvoid Route Segment 971 which may be used to display the planned route,and then touch the portion of the route (street name) to avoid. Ifpossible, device 910 will calculate a new route avoiding that roadway.The Detour button displays in the top right corner of the screen tobegin following the alternate route.

FIG. 31 also has a Manage Routes button 972. This button permits theuser to create and save routes regularly travelled. From Map View 956,Menu at the bottom of the screen, followed by Routes 928 (FIG. 24) andManage Routes 972 brings up a Manage Routes screen (not shown) where aroute may be created, selecting the origin from either the currentlocation, recent destinations, or a saved favorite destination, and adestination may be chosen from the same candidates. The route is thennamed and stored.

With further reference to main menu screen 912 of FIG. 24, the Stopbutton 926 is used to cancel a route. The volume button 924 is used toadjust the volume of voice prompts. The setting button 930 leads to manysettings and preferences submenus, illustrated as a screen 974 thatspreads over three displays in FIGS. 32-33. These three displays arenavigated with the up and down arrows (not numbered). Preferences andsettings are generally in three categories. 1. GPS Navigation settings.2. Detector: settings that are accessed by button 976 leading to thescreens depicted in FIGS. 35 and 36, and 3. General settings: Settingsof the type that have been discussed earlier.

While the present invention has been illustrated by a description ofvarious embodiments and while these embodiments have been described inconsiderable detail, it is not the intention of the applicants torestrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to suchdetail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear tothose skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects istherefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatusand method, and illustrative example shown and described. Accordingly,departures may be made from such details without departing from thespirit or scope of applicant's general inventive concept.

What is claimed is:
 1. A navigation and police activity warning devicecomprising: a receiver section receiving signals in a signal band usedin the context of law enforcement activity; a warning section respondingto the receiver section and providing a warning of a received signal,the warning being generated, or suppressed or modified at least in partin response to a vehicle location derived from a position determiningcircuit; a touch-sensitive display screen; a processor controlling thetouch-sensitive display screen and causing the display screen to provideinformation on one or more of the status of the receiver section and thestatus of the warning section using icons presented in one of at leasttwo different on-screen arrangements.
 2. The device of claim 1 furthercomprising a radar reflector for reflecting radar signals in a signalband used in the context of law enforcement activity to said receiversection.
 3. The device of claim 2 wherein the radar reflector isparabolic.
 4. The device of claim 1 further comprising an antenna hornhaving a long axis mounted parallel to a plane of the display screen. 5.The device of claim 4 further comprising a reflector for receiving radarsignals from in front of the vehicle and reflecting them to saidantenna.
 6. The device of claim 5 wherein the reflector is parabolic. 7.The device of claim 4 wherein said antenna horn is positioned behind adisplay surface of said display screen.
 8. The device of claim 1 whereinthe touch-sensitive display screen presents a touch screen button that,when touched, permits the selection of one of at least two arrangementsin which information is displayed on the touch screen display.
 9. Anavigation and police activity warning device comprising: a passengercockpit mounted housing; a receiver section within the housing receivingsignals in a signal band used in the context of law enforcementactivity; a warning section within the housing responding to thereceiver section and providing a warning of a received signal, thewarning being generated, suppressed or modified at least in part inresponse to a vehicle location derived from a position determiningcircuit; a display screen within the housing; and a radar reflectorwithin the housing for reflecting radar signals in a signal band used inthe context of law enforcement activity to said receiver section. 10.The device of claim 9 wherein the radar reflector is parabolic.
 11. Thedevice of claim 9 further comprising an antenna horn having a long axismounted parallel to a plane of the display screen.
 12. The device ofclaim 11 wherein said antenna horn is positioned behind a displaysurface of said display screen.
 13. The device of claim 9 wherein thedisplay screen is a touch-sensitive display screen.
 14. The device ofclaim 13 wherein the touch-sensitive display screen presents a touchscreen button that, when touched, permits the selection of one of atleast two arrangements in which information is displayed on the touchscreen display.
 15. A radar detection device for attachment to a groundvehicle comprising: an at least partially transparent display screenallowing viewing of the vehicle surroundings through the display screen,a receiver section within a housing receiving signals in a signal bandused in the context of law enforcement activity; a warning sectionwithin the housing responding to the receiver section and providing awarning of a received signal; and a mounting for mounting said displayscreen adjacent to a windshield of the vehicle.
 16. The display screenof claim 15 wherein the screen is an OLED LCD display.
 17. The device ofclaim 15 wherein said display is a touch-sensitive display.
 18. Thedevice of claim 15 wherein the mounting mounts to a dashboard of thevehicle.
 19. The device of claim 15 wherein the mounting mounts to arearview mirror of the vehicle.